Fallout
by kensi54382
Summary: The fallout of Bull's divorce. This story is the sequel to "Bull's Divorce".
1. Chapter 1

Bull was surprised by Isabella's willingness to allow him to collect his belongings from what had once been his house too. He had been expecting her to complain about him even being allowed to collect his belongings, even with police escorting him. Throughout the whole of the divorce proceedings, Isabella had been cold towards him, even rude at times. He hadn't expected to be given the cold shoulder treatment, but he wasn't really all that surprised by it either. Benny had warned him about it, had told him that Izzy could be just like their mother at times.

It was because of that that Benny had insisted on accompanying Bull to collect all of his stuff. At first, Bull wasn't sure it was a good idea for Benny to go with him if he was angry at his sister, but Benny had then persuaded him that he couldn't go alone and that nobody knew Izzy better than Benny did. Bull wanted to argue with him, but knew better. He agreed that Benny could come, but told him to wait in the car. Most of Bull's belongings were already packed up, and he was only going to be a few minutes.

"Jason, are you sure you don't want me to help you? Surely, you can't carry everything by yourself?" asked Benny.

"I'll be fine. It's two suitcases and one box, that's all." Bull smiled. "Thank you for coming with me, Benny."

"Always. You are my friend, Jason, and my boss." He grinned.

"Shut it, Benny." Bull laughed. "Thank you. I needed a laugh."

"Well, hurry it up then. I want to get home by dinner time."

Shaking his head, Bull climbed out of Benny's car and headed to what had once been his front door.

* * *

Benny drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he continued to wait for Bull to return with the first of his two suitcases. It had been nearly an hour since Bull had gone inside, and Benny was getting bored. If everything was already packed up, why was it taking so long for Bull to return? With a sigh, Benny tried to calm himself and relax, but, eventually, he decided that it was time to check on Bull. Slowly, he got out of his car, hoping that by taking his time, Bull would come out with his belongings and be ready to go.

Benny took an extra minute to make his way from the car to his sister's house, but Bull still hadn't returned. Benny could feel his stomach start to roll as he got closer to the front door, and a moment later, when he entered the house, he knew why. Benny could only watch in horror as his best friend was repeatedly punched and kicked.

* * *

Bull inhaled sharply as the first punch landed on his left temple. His vision immediately blurred and he swayed. He knew that he had a concussion after that, but he managed to stay upright as he attempted to defend himself. Several seconds later, Bull could feel blood trickling down his face. The heat from the blood was a strange feeling, one that Bull was finding harder to ignore.

"Bella... why...?" Bull gasped as yet another punch landed on his face.

Suddenly, Bull felt hands tightly grasping his arms. He tried to fight off the unseen person that had to have been behind him, but his strength was quickly dissipating.

"Jason, don't fight me," said a voice from behind him. "I'm trying to help you."

"Benny?" asked Bull, although it sounded like it was coming out garbled.

"I'm going to get you help, I promise." Benny pulled to the door and dropped him there. "Hey, Isabella? I hope you know that you not only lost your husband today, but your brother too."

With that said, Bull stopped listening and closed his eyes. He didn't hear anything else that occurred, and nothing registered in his mind until he woke up a day later.

* * *

"So, Mr Colon, you pulled Dr Bull free from his attacker?" asked the police officer that was interviewing Benny at the hospital.

Three hours had passed since Bull had been attacked. Benny had called the police as soon as Bull was in the back of an ambulance, and had told them that he would be at the hospital with his friend when they were ready to speak to him. Benny had not known that Bull was being attacked until he had entered the building, and, therefore, also did not know that Bull had sustained further injuries from being attacked by the man that had been there with Izzy.

"I did. Honestly, I know I'm small and short, but I was so angry and scared for Jason. I only wanted to get him out of harm's way," answered Benny.

"Did you throw any punches or kicks? Did you attack in any way?"

"No. I wanted to, definitely. But Isabella is still my sister, even if she's the cause of this. I would never hurt her."

"Didn't you tell me that you said she had lost her brother as well as her husband today?"

"I did."

"You don't consider that to be hurtful?"

"Of course it's hurtful, but it's not a physical pain. I could never cause physical pain."

"How do you know Dr Bull?"

"He was my brother-in-law up until this morning."

The officer gave a sympathetic smile to Benny. He could clearly see that the two men shared a special bond, and he was worried about what would happen to the young man in front of him if Bull couldn't recover from his injuries.

"Thank you for your time, Mr Colon." The officer stood up, collecting his files from the end of Bull's hospital bed. "I'll be in touch to let you know how the case is progressing, but feel free to call if you or Dr Bull need anything."

"Did you want me to call when Jason wakes up?" asked Benny.

"That's okay. I'll go and speak with Dr Bull's nurse and doctor, and I'll have them alert me when he's awake and lucid enough to talk."

Benny nodded. He watched as the officer left, then turned back to Bull. He returned to praying for his friend's fast recovery as he waited for Bull to regain consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Officer Reynolds took a deep breath before entering the NYPD. He had just returned from the hospital, and seeing Bull so beaten and broken had scared him. He was still relatively new to being in law enforcement, and this was his first major crime. He wasn't sure how his new teammates would treat him if they found out that he was so afraid right then.

"Reynolds! What are you waiting for? Christmas?" called his partner, Officer Johnson.

"I'm coming," he called back as he slowly followed his partner to the waiting elevator.

"Are you okay?" Johnson asked once they were in the quiet elevator. "You look pale. Are you going to be sick or something?"

"I'm fine."

"You're afraid."

Reynolds grimaced. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, we all felt that way with our first major case. I actually threw up my breakfast when I was starting out."

"I was so amazed that Dr Bull is still alive. How is that possible? The guy truly looked like death warmed over."

Johnson nodded. "Our bodies are amazing. They can take more than we think. Dr Bull has been severely injured, but he'll be alright in time."

"His friend, Mr Colon, was so upset about everything. They have a really strong bond, despite Dr Bull's marriage to Mr Colon's sister breaking down."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was wondering that myself, but I think that Mr Colon sees Dr Bull as a big brother."

"Good for them. Hopefully, that will be enough to help them stay friends."

* * *

A few hours later, Officers Reynolds and Johnson made their way into an interrogation room. They had been busy with the paperwork for Isabella's and her friend's arrests, and had also been waiting for the two lawyers to arrive. Now, as they entered Isabella's interrogation room, both officers felt their anger bubbling up. Even though the woman in front of them hadn't been the one to inflict the damage to Bull, she was clearly the reason behind it all, and that meant that she was a danger if they let her go.

"Ms Colon, are you aware of the reason that you've been arrested today?" asked Officer Johnson as he took a seat across the table from Izzy and her lawyer.

"Yes, although I believe you are wrong about me," answered Izzy.

"Be that as it may, we have enough to charge you with aiding a felony."

"And what would that felony be?" asked Izzy's lawyer.

"Grievous bodily harm resulting in severe, life-threatening injuries. Of course, there is also a possibility of the added charge of manslaughter if Dr Bull dies from his injuries or any complications resulting from those injuries."

Reynolds held back a small smile as he and Johnson both heard the involuntary sharp intake of breath from the lawyer. It was clear that Isabella had not told him everything that had happened for her to be arrested, and it was also clear that he had not been expecting to hear such awful charges against his client.

"I need a word with my client," said the lawyer stonily.

"Of course." Johnson smiled as he stood, gesturing for Reynolds to join him. "We'll wait outside until you're ready."

* * *

Benny was starting to fall asleep when he felt something brush against his hand. His first thought was to ignore it and brush it off as his imagination because he so wanted for Bull to open his eyes. But, for some strange reason, Benny found that he couldn't ignore the small movement. There was something familiar about the slight touch, and he wanted to know what that was.

Lifting his head, Benny couldn't find anything that would be a possible source of the movement. It didn't seem that anything had changed in the last twenty-four hours that he had been by his friend's side, and now was no different. If there was a change, it had to be minuscule, and completely invisible at the same time.

"Come on, Jason," whispered Benny tiredly. "Why aren't you awake yet? I don't care what the doctor says- I know you. You won't want to miss out on work, especially now that it's all you have. Wake up." Benny sighed. "The company needs a boss, and if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to take it as a sign that I'm getting a promotion. I'll start running the company my way- which might not be a good thing."

Nothing happened. Benny sighed again as he sat back in his rather uncomfortable wooden chair. He was letting his eyes close again when a tiny cough caught his attention. Opening his eyes slowly, Benny started to look around for one of their work colleagues, thinking that someone was just coming in to visit. But his eyes stopped roving around the room when he caught a glimpse of movement from the hospital bed next to him.

* * *

Bull felt sore. He wasn't sure why, but he definitely felt sore. He remembered having his head punched a couple of times, but that didn't explain why the rest of him was hurting. Maybe something else had happened? Maybe he had lost consciousness while he was still being attacked by Izzy's old friend?

 _Damn it! Benny walked in on all of that,_ thought Bull as he slowly opened his eyes. _I hope he doesn't think I deserved it. Izzy's his sister, but he knows I would never do anything to warrant a physical attack._

"Jason? Can you hear me?"

Bull felt himself smile. That voice belonged to Benny, and it sounded tired. Was Benny there? Or was he imagining it? Slowly, he turned his head to the side. Benny was indeed standing there, giving him what could only be described as a hopeful smile.

"You saved me..." Bull whispered gratefully.

The look on Benny's face quickly changed from being hopeful and happy to being worried.

"I'll be right back, Jason," said Benny just before he rushed out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Benny had to take a calming breath while he waited for a nurse to get Bull's doctor. He hadn't meant to run out of his friend's hospital room, but when Bull had spoken, it had scared Benny more than anything else ever could. The slur that accompanied Bull's words was unusual. It was like he was drunk, although he clearly wasn't.

"Mr Colon, is everything okay?" asked Bull's doctor.

"No," stated Benny, his voice still a little panicky. "Jason's awake... but his voice... it's like he's drunk..."

"Dr Bull has suffered some head trauma, Mr Colon. His speech being affected is not unexpected or unusual."

"I don't get it..."

"I'll check Dr Bull, of course, but his injuries are quite severe. Head trauma can cause a number of problems, some of which are temporary, and some of which can be permanent."

"How do you know which is which?" asked Benny now that he had managed to calm himself.

"We don't. Only time will tell."

"Jason has a job to return to, a company to run. He isn't going to want to stay here and do nothing."

"We can work that out later. Right now, his health is my concern. Work will still be there when he's well again."

Benny nodded. He wasn't sure that Bull would understand that the doctor was just looking out for his well being, though.

* * *

Bull relaxed into his pillows as he waited for Benny to return. He wasn't sure why Benny had just run out like that, but he knew the guy would be back. Even when angry, Benny always said goodbye.

"Dr Bull?"

Looking up, Bull saw a man that he didn't know. It was clear that the man was a doctor, but other than that, he couldn't figure anything out.

"Who are you?" Bull slurred.

"I'm Doctor Thompson. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Where's Benny?"

"Outside. He just needed a break. Can I ask you a question?"

"Okay."

"Does your voice sound odd to you?"

"A little bit... Why?"

"That was why Mr Colon hurried out of the room. He wasn't expecting to hear your voice sound so strange, and it worried him a little."

"Why is it strange?"

"You've had quite a traumatic head injury, Dr Bull. There's going to be some side effects for a while."

"Can you fix my voice?"

"There's no medication or operation to fix this. You need time to heal, and for that, you need to be patient. I'm told you can be quite impatient."

Bull grinned. "Maybe..."

"Well, if you are impatient, this is not the time for it. I would like for you to rest so you can have a chance to recover, is that understood?"

"Of course. Do I have to stay in hospital?"

"Yes, at least for a few days. We'll see how you go."

"Can you tell me the rest of my injuries? I mean, I figured that my arm is broken, and probably my hand too, since they're in plaster, but that's about all I could tell."

"Yes, both your arm and hand are broken. You have ten broken ribs spanning both sides of your body, and two of your ribs are bruised. You have quite bad bruising, which you can check out in the bathroom later. Your left femur is broken, though it isn't too bad- that should heal in the next month or so. Three of the toes on your left foot are broken, and two on the right foot are also broken. Those will heal in a week or two. Your brain is bruised and a little swollen, which is what's affecting your speech and probably some other things too. We'll run some tests later today to determine just how much damage there is inside your head."

Bull's mouth had dropped open in shock, but he quickly closed his mouth and said, "does Benny know this?"

"He does. I believe that telling him may have been a mistake, but he's your next of kin, so I didn't have a choice."

"That's alright. He'll move past it now that he has a new task to do."

"What new task?"

"Running my business for me while I'm in the hospital."

"I'm not doing that on my own, Jason," said Benny as the door closed.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't. I don't know everything about the company."

"Ask Juanita to help you until she leaves. She's a great assistant."

"I plan to. Didn't you hear me give myself a promotion?"

"Err... No."

"Well, until you're able to return to work, I'm in charge and I'm going to be the boss. I..."

"You aren't getting promoted to boss, Benny," laughed Bull. "However, if you're itching for a promotion, you can be the new head of law at TAC."

"I'll take what I can get." Benny grinned. "Promise me something, though?"

"What would that be?"

"Get better, no matter how long it takes."

"Of course. My company can't survive without me at the helm."

"Sure it can't..." smiled Benny.

Bull smiled back, then turned serious. "Thank you, Benny. You saved me, despite that guy's size. He did this to me- he could have just as easily done something as bad or worse to you."

"He wouldn't dare, Jason. Neither would Isabella, for that matter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Two Months Later**

Bull yawned as he stepped into one of the TAC elevators. Benny had done an amazing job as head of the company, but that was now over. Benny had been relieved to hear the previous day that Bull was returning to work. It had been a long two months for both of them- Benny had hated being in charge and had been unsure of how Bull managed such a rude team of workers, and Bull had been bored and sick of staring at the walls in his apartment.

"Jason! You're finally back!" exclaimed an over-excited Benny when Bull walked into his office. "How do you put up with those people?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's easier with you on the team. I know at least one person likes me here."

"You're the boss. Fire them."

"If I fire them, Benny, I won't have a business anymore. Besides, until I get my speech back up to scratch, nobody is going to want to work for me."

"That's ridiculous..."

"Is it? You saw the way they acted when I came in last week. They avoided me like I had the plague. How do you think people that don't know I had such a serious injury would react?"

Benny shook his head. "It's not right."

"Maybe not, but there's not much I can do." Bull shrugged. "It's okay. The longer they stick around, the more of a bad recommendation I can give to future employers."

"That's cruel."

"So are they. If they can dish it out, then they can take it when I give it back."

Benny laughed. "Oh, Jason. Listen, Juanita called this morning. She's coming in this afternoon to visit you. She said she wanted to say goodbye properly to you. I think she might also just want to see how well you are. Juanita was really upset when she heard how bad things were."

Bull smiled. "Of course she was. Did I tell you she was the best assistant ever?"

"You did."

* * *

 **The End**

 **The next installment in this series will be out soon. It will be called 'Finding Out'. That story will give more detail for the two months missing in this story.**


End file.
